[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 23, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H6667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1115
                    STATE MEDICAID EXPANSION CAUCUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to announce to my 
colleagues the formation of a new House caucus to be known as the State 
Medicaid Expansion Caucus. I am delighted to cochair this caucus, along 
with my good friend, Congressman Hank Johnson, from the State of 
Georgia.
  Madam Speaker, this caucus is 33 members strong. We want to 
demonstrate to recalcitrant Governors and State legislatures across the 
country the overwhelming public support to provide health care to low-
income single adults, particularly those ages 18 to 65.
  The majority of our caucus members are from States that have made the 
shortsighted and politically-motivated decision to exclude the very 
people the Medicaid program was established to help in the first place.
  To date, 26 States and the District of Columbia have seized the 
opportunity to expand coverage to millions of Americans. These States 
made the wise and moral decision to not only ensure that their 
residents can get the care that they deserve, but they made a smart 
economic decision to pull billions of dollars in additional Federal 
funding into their economies.
  These funds have the triple benefit of yielding better health 
outcomes for the low-income and poor, creating health care-related 
jobs, and driving down the aggregate cost of health care over time.
  In contrast, 24 States have not yet expanded Medicaid. They have 
irresponsibly chosen to turn their backs on more than 5 million 
Americans that need this coverage. What are those 5 million Americans 
going to do when they get sick? What are 500,000 North Carolinians 
going to do when they need medical care?
  Madam Speaker, I will tell you what they are going to do. They will 
either not seek the treatment that they need, causing their condition 
to get worse, which will lead to missed work and, therefore, unable to 
pay their bills. Ultimately, they will find themselves in a much worse 
situation than if they had coverage that they deserve.
  The other option is that they will do what many uninsured people have 
always done out of necessity: go to an emergency room, be treated, and 
walk out with a bill that they have no ability to pay. Hospitals will 
then write the cost of treatment off as uncompensated care.
  In order to recoup some of the lost money, hospitals will then 
increase the cost of their procedures, which results in higher premiums 
for the insured. Medicaid expansion isn't just good for our insurance 
premiums, but it is also good for the State's bottom line.
  In North Carolina alone, expanding Medicaid will save the State more 
than $65 million over the next 8 years. Expansion would benefit our 
economy in North Carolina, adding nearly $1.5 billion to the State's 
revenue.
  North Carolina drugmakers and medical device manufacturers will need 
to expand their workforce, adding a total of 23 jobs to the State. That 
is just in our State. The benefits of expansion nationally are far 
greater, yet the same scenario is playing out in nearly half of all of 
the States.
  Twenty-four States' decision to not accept billions of dollars in 
Federal support defies logic and will prove catastrophic for the very 
people the Medicaid program is intended to help.
  A critical point that many people overlook is the fact that, under 
the act, the Federal Government will pay 100 percent of the cost of 
expansion through the year 2016 and 90 percent of the costs thereafter.
  The public demands action in States that have not expanded, and 
members of this caucus are tired of inaction. We are disgusted that 
these States have such careless disregard for poor people. We will 
continue to press this issue until all 50 States have expanded their 
Medicaid program.
  Again, I thank Congressman Hank Johnson, the 31 other members of the 
State Medicaid Expansion Caucus, and the many advocacy organizations 
for their courage to fight for those who are being blocked from the 
most basic level of health care.

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